The HIV positive persons, under the aegis of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), barricaded the agency’s entrance as early as 6am, preventing staff from entering the premises.
The protesters, who carried palm fronds and placards, with various inscriptions vowed to continue the protest till their plight was addressed.
According to NEPWHAN’s public relations officer, Samaila Garba, international agencies have started reducing funding for HIV services in Nigeria, a development which may spell doom for HIV sufferers. In his words, the rate at which members of the association were dying from AIDS related complications had risen astronomically, with about 20,000 dying monthly.
LEADERSHIP quotes him as saying: “If they withdraw funding and we don’t get funding for our treatment, we are going to die”.
“From October 1, HIV patients began paying N12,000 a year for laboratory tests at an APIN-supported HIV clinic at University College Hospital, Ibadan.
“This November, another APIN site where some 23,000 people seek treatment, began charging patients N5,000 for registration, N2,000 for consultation, N8,900 for laboratory evaluation, N2,900 for lab followup, and N1,000 to pick up drugs.
“The services have been free since 2006 when the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo rolled out sponsored antiretroviral treatment for 250,000 people living with HIV.” Since then countries with lesser HIV burden than Nigeria—Kenya, Zambia, Togo, South Africa—have at least doubled funding for HIV services.”
“Donor agencies that have famously funded HIV services in parts of the country, including the US government, Global Fund and UNAIDS, have variously said they expect Nigeria to up domestic funding to provide treatment and services for people living with HIV.”
“Only 30% of all eligible for treatment have access to antiretroviral drugs—all others are not registered for any sort of treatment.”
But NACA described the protest as a “deliberate attempt to jeopardise” the agency’s activities.
Its director-general, Prof John Idoko,according to the Leadership report, admitted donors were keeping annual donations to Nigeria at a steady level—but the static funds have already impacted services in some tertiary hospitals where HIV services are supported by AIDS Prevention Initiative Nigeria (APIN).
He said that the federal government proposed plans to register extra 600,000 adults and children for antiretroviral treatment under the President’s Comprehensive Response Plan for HIV/AIDS, launched when heads of governments of African Commonwealth met in Abuja July last year.
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